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View Full Version : Sugarbush advice needed please



gores95
01-28-2006, 07:00 AM
Great site. Regular Alpinezone poster who is going up to S-Bush next week with my family and neighbors family for three nights. Haven't been there in probably 20 years and need some advice.

We are staying in Sugarbush Village at one of the condos. My wife is concerned because the trail map seems to have a lack of Green Squares! Since we are staying at the base of Lincoln Peak I told her that the Village Double seems to service a pretty tame area. It also looks like taking the Gatehouse Express quad she could ski Pushover/Lower Pushover. Can novices ski from the summit or any other lifts on Lincoln?

We will be skiing Friday-Sunday and I am assuming its worth it to get over to Mount Ellen and if so can you take the Slide Brook Express BOTH ways (provided its open of course!)? Not really sure how that lift operates. Are you better off taking a shuttle between mountains? How about terrain at Mount Ellen vs. Lincoln Peak?

One more....best FAMILY restaurant close to Sugarbush? Kids ages 11-3.

Lots of questions so thanks in advance for the help!!! :wink:

Marc

noski
01-28-2006, 08:13 AM
Great site. Regular Alpinezone poster who is going up to S-Bush next week with my family and neighbors family for three nights. Haven't been there in probably 20 years and need some advice.

We are staying in Sugarbush Village at one of the condos. My wife is concerned because the trail map seems to have a lack of Green Squares! Since we are staying at the base of Lincoln Peak I told her that the Village Double seems to service a pretty tame area. It also looks like taking the Gatehouse Express quad she could ski Pushover/Lower Pushover. Can novices ski from the summit or any other lifts on Lincoln?

We will be skiing Friday-Sunday and I am assuming its worth it to get over to Mount Ellen and if so can you take the Slide Brook Express BOTH ways (provided its open of course!)? Not really sure how that lift operates. Are you better off taking a shuttle between mountains? How about terrain at Mount Ellen vs. Lincoln Peak?

One more....best FAMILY restaurant close to Sugarbush? Kids ages 11-3.

Lots of questions so thanks in advance for the help!!! :wink:

Well, first, I might be a noski, but I don't think there are green squares. Maybe she should look for the green circles....? I have skied a half dozen times - ever- and had no problem finding sufficient green circle trails. They connect and interconnect. I took the Slidebrook lift when going between mountains. However, someone else will need to address the change in lift config at Mt E since I last skied. I used to ride the chair to the left as you look at Mt E from the parking lot (help me with name someone) but it used to stop at midstation and then you could connect to Slidebrook lift. That lift now goes to the top(?) so I am not sure about green circle access to it now.
As far as restaurant- I have not eaten there yet, but Country Flair near the base of the Access Rd caters to family dining- that may be worth checking out. The Hyde Away would be good, as would the Den or Jays. Go to the dining section of www.madrivervalley.com and that should help you. PM or call me next week if you need more specific info. Others here will take care of the skiing question- I know my limits!

Strat
01-28-2006, 08:29 AM
Great site. Regular Alpinezone poster who is going up to S-Bush next week with my family and neighbors family for three nights. Haven't been there in probably 20 years and need some advice.

We are staying in Sugarbush Village at one of the condos. My wife is concerned because the trail map seems to have a lack of Green Squares! Since we are staying at the base of Lincoln Peak I told her that the Village Double seems to service a pretty tame area. It also looks like taking the Gatehouse Express quad she could ski Pushover/Lower Pushover. Can novices ski from the summit or any other lifts on Lincoln?

We will be skiing Friday-Sunday and I am assuming its worth it to get over to Mount Ellen and if so can you take the Slide Brook Express BOTH ways (provided its open of course!)? Not really sure how that lift operates. Are you better off taking a shuttle between mountains? How about terrain at Mount Ellen vs. Lincoln Peak?

One more....best FAMILY restaurant close to Sugarbush? Kids ages 11-3.

Lots of questions so thanks in advance for the help!!! :wink:

Marc

There's no lack of green circles! Village Chair has a nice wide beginner trail, much of the Gatehouse area is very tame... off the summit? Not so much. It could be done, but it would be good to possess at least intermediate skills. Other lifts are pretty much the same; if she's feeling confident though you can take her up the Super Bravo and down Jester; twisty blue trail that involves a few steeper segments, but nothing that a confident novice couldn't handle I'd think, at least at a slow speed...

Slidebrook does go both ways, unique in that design... heck of a ride, definitely worth at least one go... definitely faster than waiting for the shuttle... Mt. Ellen is a little more straightforward than Lincoln Peak in that you have less choices... the Sunny D has a few little beginner trails off of it, but the terrain park is right there so you end up with an abundance of park rats... they won't bother you, it's just crowded... the Inverness lift has Walt's trail, a twisty, fun green, and some very New England-y blues... usually a lot of racing going on Inverness itself though (the trail I mean). The Green Mountain Express has a green and some mellow blues off of it, but it may be a bit intimidating because there is a fairly steep, often icy little section that goes from the flat lift terminal area down to the trails... again, confidence is key.... the Summit at Mt. Ellen may possess more opportunity for a less-experienced skier than LP now that I think about it... Rim Run, the nice, wide blue off the top, is not very steep, and could easily be done by anyone who can do Jester at LP... Lower Rim Run, below the summit, is also pretty mellow, except for the steepish part to get back to the lift... not undoable by any means I think, just would need to keep the speed down...

Now I'm not a huge restaurant goer - check the "Favorite Restaurant" thread in the Mad River Valley forum for advice... the few I'm familiar with are Egan's Big World Pub and Grill, which has quite good food and a nice family atmosphere, corner of Route 17 and 100 in Waitsfield... if you're in the mood for burgers or pizza though, head over to Bongiorno's, down Route 17 a bit... the pizza's not exactly New York, but it's pretty good considering where we are, and the burgers are phenomenal... at least in my opinion. They also serve other Italian dishes, calzones, manicotti, those sorts of things. There's always American Flatbread too; amazing "pizza" (frankly I think it's an insult to call it pizza), well worth the sometimes 2+ hour wait... make sure you call in your name early...

Good luck, hope you have a great time in the Valley!

Lostone
01-28-2006, 08:33 AM
You are correct in the assumption that there aren't a lot of green dots over here. Also correct that the Village double is pretty good, as is Pushover off the Gatehouse.

You can also access the Slidebrook lift (weekends only) from the top of Gatehouse. It lets you off at the foot of Northridge at Mt Ellen. There is no green dot terrain off the top of Northridge. You'll have to o down and ski off GMX or Sunny D.

From North, you take the GMX lift and take Northstar back to Slidebrook. As for which is better, some people prefer each. It is a personal choice.

I'm not the person for the restaurant, but we have a Favorite Restaurant thread in the Mad River Valley room.

If I've left out anything, ask again and we'll get you answers.

gores95
01-28-2006, 09:26 AM
Yes I meant Green CIRCLES.....thanks for the help!

ski_resort_observer
01-28-2006, 10:05 AM
If you have a couple of free hours you should take the kids to the Ben&Jerry Factory about 30 min away in Waterbury. My kids loved it. If you have access to the Sugarbush Health and Racquat Club kids like doing the Rock Gym.

gores95
01-28-2006, 01:38 PM
If you have a couple of free hours you should take the kids to the Ben&Jerry Factory about 30 min away in Waterbury. My kids loved it. If you have access to the Sugarbush Health and Racquat Club kids like doing the Rock Gym.

My daughter and I did the BJ Factory last March on a visit to Stowe. It is great!

One last question...any advice as to which mountain to ski or avoid on a weekday/weekend. In other words should we stay on Lincoln for Friday and Ellen for Saturday or vice versa? Not sure if one mountain gets more crowded than the other.

Thanks again for all the input!

Marc

madskier6
01-28-2006, 02:42 PM
Lincoln Peak gets more crowded on weekends. Mount Ellen rarely has crowds ever (except during school vacation weeks). Having said that, Lincoln Peak does not get that crowded either (except during holdiay periods) but it does get more crowded than Mount Ellen as a rule.

ski_resort_observer
01-28-2006, 04:39 PM
I avoid the Gatehouse Lodge, the main base lodge at LP, at all costs, it's a madhouse. The base and mid-mountain lodges at ME are nice. You can always take the lift overto LP to access the great terrain. Check out Sleeper off the Gatehouse lift. It's a nice easy fun trail thru the woods.

Tin Woodsman
01-29-2006, 09:49 AM
I avoid the Gatehouse Lodge, the main base lodge at LP, at all costs, it's a madhouse. The base and mid-mountain lodges at ME are nice. You can always take the lift overto LP to access the great terrain. Check out Sleeper off the Gatehouse lift. It's a nice easy fun trail thru the woods.

That's not as true anymoere regarding the Gate House lodge. I'm the first one to pile on about the crowds in there, but the addition of the lowe level seating and stroage area where the Sugarbear Den used to be has really helped, IMHO. It's a nice, quiet place to get changed with a family b/c it's a bit out of the way and the masses haven't really discovered it yet.

As for beginner terrain, the other people here have pretty much covered it. I will say this - when my wife started skiing Sugarbush, she had maybe 2 days on skis in 15 years. She was essentially a raw beginner. So she obviously loved Walt's Trail (a twisty gem), and could handle Pushover immediately. But after a day at SB, she decided to move onto Jester and Snowball/Racer's Edge. Now Jester is a real twisty New England classic that your wife should be able to handle if she stays on the out edges of the trail where it's not that steep. It winds its way down the entire mountain, so it's a real treat. The only thing is that your wife can't get intimidated when riding up on the Heaven's Gate lift and seeing onlyexpert terrain there.

I also echo the recommednations for Sleeper at South and the Rim Runs at North. Both should be relatively easy to handle for a confident beginner. As for North when coming off the GMX and trying to access the beginner trails off of it, youdon't have to go over the steep-ish section to get there. Look to your left, and you'll see a flat side trail going around a stand of trees. It might require some skating, but it will halp you avoid that section if you wife isn't into it.

The SBX goies both ways, so it doesn't matter where you start out your day. That said, basing at Mt Ellen for the day on weekends is a good call.

WWF-VT
01-30-2006, 08:12 AM
I agree with other posters on novice terrain. Gatehouse Quad and Village Double at Lincoln Peak. Sunny Double at Mt Ellen. Be aware of trail markers before you proceed. This weekend Walt's Trail was marked "Experts Only / Thin Cover" and it was not a trail for a novice!

Strat
01-30-2006, 03:32 PM
Sunny D is looking less and less viable... there is now a minipark on Sugar Run, the other trail accompanying the main park (yes, there is "Graduation" at the top, but that just empties back to the park), and so the area will be infested with yet more park rats... North just isn't a place for beginners.

Plowboy
01-30-2006, 07:48 PM
so the area will be infested with yet more park rats... North just isn't a place for beginners.

More like park punks. If you bring your kids over there be prepared to meet some of the rudest people I have ever seen. I really had to hold back after one of them called my 7 yo a "little m fer" last year. I was told by him that "the park is for training and the trails are for sking". LOL I told him that, all they want to do is ski or ride like them, but now their not sure if they want to be losers.

This year has not changed. They need some supervision over there, or a couple of real big bouncers.

There are a lot of real nice kids over there too!!! But, it only takes a few bad apples to spoil the basket.

I would agree that ME is not for true beginners but, a novice skier with some skills will be fine. Fewer people on the trails weekends, compared to LP. Unless it's 45 degrees, sunny and the Gatehouse chair is down.

Plowboy